Psalm's $1 billion bond benefits from improved sentiment

The Philippine SOE's debut offering attracts $6 billion in orders from international investors.

International investors placed close to $6 billion of orders yesterday for a debut bond offering by the Philippines' state-owned Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp Psalm -- six times the amount of paper on offer.

The strong demand was driven by a recent spike in optimism in the credit markets and by Psalm's government guarantee, which combined to allow the company to print the 10-year bonds at the tight end of its price guidance. The final price was...